Hi Damon,  I am also forwarding this letter to MMD, so if some of my
advice steers you wrong the group will correct me in short order.  It
is really wonderful that a young man is interested in player pianos.
We need more!  Here are a few pitfalls I had when I was a young man.

Don't try to remove the pneumatics with a putty knife and hammer.
It will come right off if you measure the span of the pneumatic first,
then rip it open, lay the moveable leaf out of the way, and then set
a steam iron over the bottom board for about a 60 seconds or so.  I
am sure to get some argument here, but I would rather warp the pneu-
matics and replace them than have to repair a splintered deck board.

Try to stay away from Simplex, Shultz, and Gulbransen stacks until
you have rebuilt several players.  If you do take on a Simplex, never
ever use the instructions that Durrell Armstrong has in his b-50 book,
or you will have to write a query to MMD: "Seeking Simplex Unit
Pneumatics"!

Piano tuners in your area may be able to give you knowledge about the
piano itself, but I wouldn't mention players or most of them will act
like Dracula who is shown the cross !

If you run across a rebuilder who removes the pumping pedals regularly
[and installs an electric pump], stay away from him.  You should be
able to play a simple roll by pumping with one foot.  Small pumps feel
tighter than large ones do.

There are three types of people in this field: the people who do the
work, the people who just half do it,  and the people who take the
credit.  Try to be the first type.  There is more demand for them and
far less competition.  There are people that are in this business
because they love the machines they work on, and then there are people
who are just there to look good and put on airs.  You won't learn
anything from the latter.

If you see a machine that works great (which you will find is rare,
these days), that is the person to contact for advice.  Despite the PR
that person might have, let the machine do the recommending.  If it
hasn't been rebuilt correctly, it will let you know..

Always do the piano first or you won't have anything worth listening
to.  Good luck with your venture and never settle for second best.  By
the way, please send me your snail-mail address again.

Cheers
Andy Taylor